Poorly mentored Bar will produce fragile Bench, High Court Judge warns

…As JASAN Foundation holds 2nd Legacy Dialogue

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: A Federal High Court judge, Justice Mabel Segun-Bello, has called for the institutionalization of mentorship in Nigeria’s legal profession, warning that the collapse of structured guidance between senior and junior lawyers poses a long-term threat to professional standards and the justice system.

Delivering the keynote address at the Legacy Dialogue 2.0, an initiative of the Johnny Agim SAN Foundation, Justice Segun-Bello lamented that mentorship in the legal profession had become “increasingly informal, and at times even incidental,” leaving many young lawyers “to navigate the labyrinth of practice without consistent guardians.”

At the event, President and Founder of JASAN Foundation, Johnny Agim, SAN said his team remain committed to fostering excellence in the legal profession through Mentorship and Sponsorship by creating a network of 500 well-rounded young lawyers poised to drive positive change in the legal profession by taking the rank of silk or becoming Judges of Courts of Records in the next 10 years in the midterm and to becoming institutions in themselves in no distant future.

“As an Advocate that is passionate about legal reforms in order to build a lasting legacy that is preparing young platform for promoting mentorship, sponsorship, reforms and advocacy within the legal profession has generations of lawyers for excellence, #TheLegacy Dialogue, as our flagship annual thought leadership become one veritable tool in achieving that goal by bringing together legal experts, academics, and stakeholders with the aim of exploring innovative approaches to mentorship and sponsorship in the legal profession.

“The maiden edition laid a solid foundation for dialogue on the future of law and professional identity formation, underscoring the pivotal role of strategic sponsorship and mentorship in shaping the legal profession.

“At the inauguration in 2024, the JASAN Foundation N1 Billion Endowment Fund for Legal Education Sponsorship and Scholarship was launched, as well as the unveiling of our transgenerational logo. I am happy to report that the seed sown in 2024 just a year ago has already sprouted as the students awarded scholarship by our Foundation got admitted into the Nigerian Law School and it is our plan that after their Call to Bar in a few months time, they would all be admitted into our Mentorship”, he added.

The Legacy Dialogue 2.0, hosted by the Johnny Agim SAN Foundation JASAN, focuses on the theme “Institutionalisation of Mentorship in the Legal Profession: A Strategic Blueprint for Professional Development.”

Poor Bar, Fragile Bench

Justice Segun-Bello praised Mr Agim, SAN, for creating the Legacy Dialogue platform, describing it as “a dialogue that has brought to the front burner an elephant that the profession has long ignored.”

Responding to critics who argue that mentorship should remain a private affair, the judge insisted that the profession’s monopoly over representing human rights and liberties gives society a legitimate interest in how lawyers are trained.

“Mentorship serves as an infrastructure for justice, and leaving it to chance is inviting systemic risk. A poorly mentored bar will produce a fragile bench.

“Our profession must rediscover the culture of deliberate and intentional mentorship. The purpose is not to impose new burdens, but to revive the virtues of diligence, humility and ethical consistency,” she said.

Justice Segun-Bello proposed that mentorship be treated as a regulated and measurable component of legal development, stressing that “mentorship serves both the mentor and the mentee, and ultimately strengthens our justice system.”

Drawing from her early days in legal practice, the judge recalled her formative years in one of the law chambers in Ibadan, where “mentorship was not an afterthought but a way of life.”

She recounted how she learned confidence and court etiquette simply by observing her principal’s composure and courtesy in court.

“I was not born confident. I learned confidence by observing posture, by watching how my seniors behaved in court. That is what proximity, practice, and correction do to the minds of young lawyers,” she said.

While commending the adoption of technology in judicial processes — including her own role in pioneering Nigeria’s first digital affidavit system — Justice Segun-Bello warned that the digital era has also weakened the mentorship culture.

“Technology has made law faster and broader, but something precious is slipping through the cracks. The informal apprenticeship that once grew naturally through proximity and correction is vanishing. We have gained speed but lost texture,” she observed.

She cautioned that virtual workspaces and remote learning threaten to erode the “tacit knowledge” that only comes through physical observation and shared professional rhythm.

“Technology can transmit data, but it cannot transmit nuances. Mentorship requires more observation than instruction. We must use technology to enhance mentorship, not replace it,” she advised.

Justice Segun-Bello also identified economic hardship and generational mistrust as major factors weakening the mentorship culture.

“The enthusiastic fire of a young advocate quickly dims the moment rent is due or salaries unpaid. Economic action has become a silent saboteur of mentorship,” she said, adding that many young lawyers now abandon private practice due to poor remuneration and lack of encouragement.

She further noted that a growing disconnect between older and younger lawyers has fractured the chain of knowledge transfer.

“Seniors perceive juniors as impatient; juniors see seniors as indifferent. The profession has become a chorus of parallel monologues.

“Seniors speak the language of ‘pay your dues,’ while juniors speak the language of ‘work-life balance.’ These are not opposites – they are coordinates of the same value system,” she added.

Justice Segun-Bello therefore proposed the establishment of a National Mentorship Council jointly owned by key stakeholders — including the universities, the Nigerian Law School, the Body of Benchers, the Nigerian Bar Association NBA, the National Judicial Institute NJI, and the National Judicial Council NJC.

“We have spoken of mentorship as a virtue. Now we must treat it as an infrastructure. We need an architectural design that ensures continuity and accountability across all stages of legal development,” she concluded.

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